Facile Synthesis of Iron Carbide via Pyrolysis of Ferrous Fumarate for Catalytic CO2 Hydrogenation to Lower Olefins

Abstract Hydrogenation of CO 2 to olefin catalyzed by iron‐based catalysts is a sustainable and important way to achieve carbon neutrality. In this study, iron‐based catalysts were facilely prepared by direct pyrolysis of ferric fumarate (FF), which are applied to CO 2 hydrogenation to olefin reaction to explore the effects of pyrolysis temperature and atmosphere on catalytic performance of the catalysts. Among them, NaFe‐Air‐400 catalyst exhibits the highest catalytic activity with 33.7 %, and light olefin selectivity reaches as high as 47.1 %. The catalytic performance of pyrolytic catalysts is better than that the impregnated NaFe catalyst on activated carbon (NaFe/AC). A series of XRD, Raman and SEM characterization results show a suitable pyrolysis temperature would promote the balance between amorphous carbon and graphene, which can affect the formation of Fe x C y phase, leading the distinctive activity and olefin selectivity. Hence, the presented one‐step pyrolysis methodology would provide a facile and quick synthesis of highly‐active iron‐based catalyst design for CO 2 conversion.